The inaugural ceremony of the Africa-China Alliance for Poverty Alleviation Photo: Courtesy of the International Poverty Reduction Center in China

The Africa-China Alliance for Poverty Alleviation was established on November 10, 2022. It is an important platform to promote China-Africa cooperation in poverty reduction and development in the new era as well as share China's experience in poverty reduction for African countries, which will inject new impetus to promote the building of the China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

During the inaugural ceremony of the Alliance held in Beijing, the participants discussed topics such as food security, employment and green development under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The delegates unanimously said that eliminating poverty and achieving sustainable development is the common wish of Chinese and African people, and is an important area in the practical China-Africa cooperation.

The year 2022 marks the 66th anniversary of the beginning of the diplomatic relations between China and Africa, and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the African Union (AU) as well as the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and the AU. Over the recent decades, China-Africa cooperation in poverty reduction has gone deeper and more solid, Xia Gengsheng, vice administrator of the National Rural Revitalization Administration of China, said during the ceremony.

While eradicating its own poverty, China has always been an active advocate, a strong promoter and an important contributor to the international cause of poverty reduction and rural development, Xia noted, adding that the Alliance represents concrete action of China and Africa to jointly implement global development initiatives and put into practice the Dakar Action Plan (2022-24), which will play an active role in further promoting the exchanges and sharing of experience between China and Africa.

China and Africa plan to set up 20 China-African model villages for agricultural development and poverty reduction in Africa, which have already been implemented in Kenya and Zambia, Liu Yuxi, special representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs said, noting that Chinese vocational colleges have built 12 Luban projects in 11 African countries, including Egypt, South Africa and Ethiopia, to cultivate professional and technical talents that meet the needs of local industrial development.

According to Liu, China has lifted more than 700 million people out of absolute poverty, solving a historical problem that has plagued the nation for thousands of years, and providing the international community with valuable experience in poverty reduction. China is willing to share its thoughts, ideas and practices on poverty alleviation and contribute the country's wisdom to the international cause of poverty reduction. It is also looking forward to strengthening exchanges with Africa and other countries to identify more cooperation opportunities to jointly promote modernization.

With the help of e-commerce and other forms of digital information cooperation, China will promote the export of African agricultural products to China, and continue to expand the visibility and reputation of African products through shopping activities, Liu noted.

The Africa-China Alliance for Poverty Alleviation is a platform, through which the AU can harness the Chinese experience as relevant practical experience to contribute to African poverty reduction, Rahamtalla M. Osman Elnor, permanent representative of the AU to China said during the opening ceremony.

Siddharth Chatterjee, resident coordinator of the United Nations shared a similar view. He noted that China's experience in poverty reduction can be replicated around the world, and the continued development of the country will create a number of opportunities to achieve global sustainable development goals.

At the conference, two products under the Alliance were released, including Annual Report on Poverty Reduction in Africa 2022 as well as China-Africa Poverty Reduction and Development Cooperation Case Series 2022.

China and Africa have been good brothers, friends and partners in the past 70 years, which is an important foundation for China-Africa cooperation in poverty reduction and development, Lu Jixia, professor at the College of International Development and Global Agriculture from China Agricultural University said. 

Lu noted that in the case series, China has carried out cooperation with Africa on poverty reduction in seven fields including agriculture, health, education, human resource development cooperation, infrastructure construction and digital economy cooperation.

"The construction of Tanzania-Zambia Railway, known as a road of freedom and friendship, is the best manifestation of China-Africa cooperation. Moreover, under the agricultural cooperation in Tanzania, maize yields in the demonstration villages have increased 4-6 times and local farmers' incomes have grown significantly," Lu noted.